ferment
Americannoun
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Also called organized ferment. any of a group of living organisms, as yeasts, molds, and certain bacteria, that cause fermentation.
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Also called unorganized ferment. an enzyme.
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agitation; unrest; excitement; commotion; tumult.
The new painters worked in a creative ferment.
The capital lived in a political ferment.
verb (used with object)
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to act upon as a ferment.
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to cause to undergo fermentation.
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to inflame; foment.
to ferment prejudiced crowds to riot.
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to cause agitation or excitement in.
Reading fermented his active imagination.
verb (used without object)
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to be fermented; undergo fermentation.
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to seethe with agitation or excitement.
noun
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any agent or substance, such as a bacterium, mould, yeast, or enzyme, that causes fermentation
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another word for fermentation
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commotion; unrest
verb
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to undergo or cause to undergo fermentation
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to stir up or seethe with excitement
Other Word Forms
- fermentability noun
- fermentable adjective
- fermenter noun
- nonfermentability noun
- nonfermentable adjective
- nonfermented adjective
- nonfermenting adjective
- unfermentable adjective
- unfermented adjective
- unfermenting adjective
- well-fermented adjective
Etymology
Origin of ferment
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin fermentum “yeast” (noun), fermentāre “to cause to rise” (verb), equivalent to fer(vēre) “to boil” + -mentum -ment ( def. ); fervent
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It is still unknown whether chimpanzees deliberately choose fruits with higher ethanol levels, which tend to be riper and richer in sugar that can ferment.
From Science Daily • Dec. 1, 2025
Some of the best bits of “Carole King” are those that give nonmusical readers insight into the creative ferment of the industry.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 16, 2025
Does the party have the means to ferment a counterculture that is agile, tech-savvy, and fashionable?
From Slate • Jun. 12, 2025
The staging transitions in dreamlike fashion from the hospital to Pondicherry, India, where Pi grew up in a happy, hectic ferment of adolescence.
From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2025
Adam’s recognition brought a ferment of happiness to Cal.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
